Fleurety Black metal renegades Fleurety, consisting of the duo Alexander Nordgaren and Svein Egil Hatlevik, exhibit bravery through adventurous spirit, guided by wanderlust through nether-regions beyond nighttime forests and frozen fields serving as their native Norway’s inspirational landscape. Willing to accept black metal’s base components as a starting point for a far-reaching musical vision yet not be confined by the genre’s stylistic or thematic guidelines, Fleurety embody the rebellious nature of the isolated spirit; the wolf deserting the pack in pursuit of independent treasures and discoveries. Fleurety make black metal as one can imagine the style played by a progressive rock band. The five songs that make up this debut effort are of the lengthy variety, three of which average over ten minutes, allowing space for development of dynamics in transition from unorthodox black metal in an unhurried process in the sustainment of flowing motion. The music shifts from savage, anguished passages usually arising like a wounded beast’s claw in a moment of desperate retaliation, to quiet, reflective moments, sometimes flirting with a playful nature. Oddness abounds at nearly every turn, with even the more standard metal sections featuring wandering bass lines more common to progressive rock or rhythm patterns not usually associated with metal music. This material demands a varied vocal approach, and this is quite effectively delivered in a range from tortured banshee screams and cackling troll croaks to whispers and spoken expressions, and the frequent employment of female vocals which provide the music a beautiful contrast. Indeed, this work would not be as compelling without such a contrast, and Marian Aas Hansen’s performance here is possibly the most effective presentation of female vocals ever to be associated with black metal. Synths and acoustic instruments handled in manners nontraditional to heavy metal bring an element of experimentation and atmosphere to this music, granting pathways to an experience the likes of which had previously been, to this degree, alien to the black metal realm. Here we can observe the lessons presented by Celtic Frost (particularly on Into The Pandemonium) applied not in the typical mechanical forms, but rather in the spirit of vision and creation. Min Tid Skal Komme ("My Time Shall Come"), parallels a poem composed in prose evolving in five movements. The music mirrors remnants of moments in time during a journey towards ever-changing skylines. On this trip is a wayward soul in struggle with the elements of environment and of self, armed with only the unwavering determination to achieve harmonious destiny. The raw nature of this music represents this struggle brilliantly, and the exploratory essence of these compositions portrays the uncertain occurrences encountered on this lifelong plight. The tranquil closer "Fragmenter Av En Fremtid" suggests a peaceful result in the shape of acquirement of contentment in the final stages of life or release from the inner turmoil of existence into death’s final rest. As the Norwegian black metal movement had reached its zenith by the mid-90s, Fleurety, along with other post-black metal purveyors Ulver, Arcturus, Ved Buens Ende..., and later Dodheimsgard and Solefald, began the incorporation of avant-garde ideas into a black metal framework resulting from these musicians reaching the age of a broader awareness from increased knowledge of music making and conceptual exploration, growing bored with the genre’s identifiable components, or perhaps losing touch with what black metal initially offered their young and impressionable selves. Min Tid Skal Komme strips away barriers of stylistic convention for something vast and less limiting, creating a work that stands as one of Norway’s most curious and bold.
Tracklisting: 1. Fragmenter Av En Fortid Fleurety Discography:
Blacksnow (demo, 1993) |